The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-11-24
In Old Mexico.

In Old Mexico.
THE CUISINE AS FAIR CRITERION OF THE
| NATIONS CIVILIZATION. THE MEXICAN
MENU. QUEER KITCHEN WAYS. TIE TALE
| OF CAKE. AND HOW A FAIR SENORA DIS
TINGUISIIED HERSELF AS A DULCE-MAKER.
Correspondence of the Journal
CITY OF MENICo. Nov. 18th. 1t is an un-
questionable fact that the cuisine is fair cri-
terion of the civilization of any nation--and
that of Mexico is as unique as the dress AMI
manners of her people. The climate, no doubt,
as well as the Moorish architecture of the
houses has much to do about it. In this hot
country. ard in these wndowess Kitchens
steady fires are out of the question. did not the
scarcity and high price of fuel prevent where
trees do not abound nor coal-mineS exist.
When gnarled and crooked sticks are bought
by weght-at the rate of cent and Il half per
pound-and coal, brought from great dis
tancc Is from SIC to $40 per ton, naturally
economy in fuel is a prime consideration.
A typical Mexican kitchen has neither stove,
table, chairs nor cupboarI,-the clean-swcpt
clay floor, an adobe shelf against The wall. and
| few hooks and PEGS. answering every pur-
pose In the houses of the rich
AN ADOBE RANGE
is built into the wall, which i, really a long,
narrow box. made of Sun-baked clay and parti-
toned off into little compartments. within each
of which Il handful of charcoal may lie consllll-
ed.
The midde-classes use a big clay jar. or pot
in lieu of range. in which charcoal is also
burned; while the poor have sail ont DOORS for
kitchen, and build their tiny fire where it Is
most convenient.
The cooking utensils are seldom Of iron. be-
cause here that metal is very scarce and dear
but earthern pots are almost universally used
instead of the kettles and frying-pans to W hch
Northern hous e-keepers are accustomed. Ii
seems incredible that Il dinner of several
courses can he prepared over charcoal pot not
much larger than peck measure. the various
edibleS all cooked in smaller pots set within it.
Let us observe some of the dishes. Perhaps
the most important part of the menu is the
toWiild. or unleavcncd pancake. the Mexican
''statl of HE" and staple article of food. 1t is
made of common field corn, soaked in lime
water. and then crushed into paste on a stone
metate with Il stone roller. The women of the
household go through the entire Iaborous pro-
| cess rs many times day as there are meals to
be eaten. knceling upon the floor behind the
low mrfdte. The paste is then mixed with Il
little water, with no salt or soda, and small
masses of it are tiattened into little cakes. much
like English scenes or Yankee buckwheatS,
Spatted into shape between the hands, and hak-
ed Immediately y upon fiat stone, or piece of
iron or tin, over the fire Throughout all Mex
leo, t0Nili0S have been in use from the earliest
times. with no change in the manner of making
them, except that for the noble Aztec> in Mon
tezuma'> time the leaves Of various medicinal
plants We're kneeded in with the dough.
Then there is
PUCuARO.
or the boiled conglomcration that always fol-
lows the soup. consisting of mutton, beef. ha-
con. fowls. sausage, gHrt0H.-uS "a large white
bcan) small gourdS. squash. greens. pears. al>-
pies. and every other seed. root Or vegetable
known to man. all boiled together. Il piece OF
each piled upon your plate. and sauce Of
herbs. tomatoes. and red-hot chill poured over
it. AT every Mexican dinner. $50 days in the
year, the third course is invariably pHch0fp.
after cal2o (broth). and the stew Of rice. vcr-
macilla or macaroni, mixed with tomatoes,
cheese or sour milk.
There is mate. which means any kind of fish,
flesh or fowl. with a sauce Of roasted chili-"p-
pcrS, which turns the Whole thing to deep.
dark red. and is fiery enough to draw tears
from the eyes of Il craven image.
| There is the td3n0ie. innocent enough IN its
| looks to tempt Il baby. but 50 hot with chill
within that ones throat needs TO lie triple-plat-
| ed with tin. 1t is made Of re-, peppers. to'na-
| in tortlla dough and pul inside a corn hn>k..
| They are then boiled. or steamed in the lnl~k.
| which avors them through and 1brough-and
| really they are not bad, when one, elmer
| man" becomes hardened to the chilli.
Another delicacy is known as enChHGdeS.-
made of tortila dough rolled over IN unguc>s-
| able conundrum Of chopped chicken. red pep
pers. green tomatoes. garlic rai>imS. and licay
| en- knows what. These are also enclosed in
| corn hu>ks and boiled. and are Very good eat
| ing if one is not too particular as TO tl" conn
ponent parts OF the comundrum and the dirt it
| may incidentally contain.
| There are also boiled nopaS, or fruit of the
| 'prctiy pear. Il species of racti, bananas fried
| in lard. goat t's-milk cheese to lie eaten with
honey, and last. but by no means least
FEEJoLEs, OR RED BTANs.
| which everybody in Mexico eats at least three
| a day, and which Immediately prcccdr the dc>-
| sert at every well-reyulated dinner. They are
| first parboed in water. after which the cook
| takes the stcWing jar. pours out the water.
| throws the beans into the air and catches them
| again in the jar, keeping up the operation until
| they are quite cold. when they are mixed with
| chill and fried in fat.
| As to The mesScS eaten by TIE Indians. | can
not speak from experimental knowledge. for
| even that journalistic fervor which will lead
! the wandering scribe to the topmo>t icy peaks
| of sky-piercing mountains, and TO the lowest
| depths of >ubterranean cavcrns. fails utterly
| when it comes to eating snaii>. pounded flies.
| dried grass-hoppers, fish ntestinc>, moslui-
| to eggs, ct cetern.
| But it must be remembered that the upper
| classes are exceedingly dainty in their diet,
| ard look upon the average American as a bar
| barian of the first water because he can make
| a meal without wine and divide his dinner into
| only two courses. Not only the ariStocrats,
| but all MeNicans with any pretcnsion> to social
standing, require that every dish. if it be but 4
| spoonful of peas, be served as Il separate
m IISf u rpS il ,
ed. making the most COMMONPLACE dinner Il
| long and ccremonious affair. Wine is always
served with the Substantas, and coffee and
| cigarettes after dessert.
The MeNicans have no fondness for sour
| things, therefore vinegar. pickles, etc, find no
| place here; but everybody has 4 well develops
| ed ''sugar-tooth' and dulcies (sweetmeat>) J
are in great demand. There is no end to the
varieties of dulce which Mexican housewife
will compound, from simple tatlv to the most
| elaborate preserved or candied fruits, sauces.
| jeies and marmaladcS. Canning is unknown
| here, and is not needed in a summer country
where fruits are perennial. have eaten
ROSES PRESERVED ENTIRE,
each delicate. Suyar-frosted leaf intact upon
| the stem. making a conserve fit for a fairy !;
and everybody knows that preserved rose
leaves, like guava jelly, are common in tropical
| larders.
Since stoves are comparatively unknown.
! and therefore ovens are non eSt-eNcept those
| ponder0us affairs of adobe used by the bread
bakers-pies and cake are never in the
Mexican menu. To be sure there are various
articles called cakes to he found in few
French bakeries, but they bear no more like
ness to the cake which graces the daily tea
| table of every American than t0rtili0S re-
| sembIe American bread.
During my first year in this country great
| ly missed the accustomed e,libles, and found it
extremely difficult to subsist upon diet 80 en-
tirely new. One of my earliest experiences
was to reside, for four long months in 4 MeXi-
| IAN family. who spoke no word of English and
were entirely unacquainted with any mode Of
| living but that essentially Mexican. They
We're people of wealth and education. exceed
ingly knd-hearted, hosptable, and what is
called "good livers." Four times "A day their
table literally groaned under the burden Of
national delcacies; yet ! grew thin and thin
ner, and actually retired every night SO down
right hungry that could have welt. if tears
would have brought some good fairy with Il
slice of Yankee bread and butter! Just fancy
| it-four months without butter, tea, steak, po-
| tatoes, pie, cake, in short without anything to
which one had been accustomed, yet compelled
to suffer the tortnres of Tantalus by being
seated four times day, an hour at a stretch,
beside tables loaded with dishes, one turned
| from in tiSvuSt'